The Quarterback's Girl

Chapter 16

It's been about a week since everything fell apart at Sydney's house. I haven't been invited out with any of them since, Noah won't talk to me in fear of further disrespecting Jason, who avoids me whenever he has the chance, Poppy is off with Ellis most of the time and I would say something but I don't want to annoy her as well or come of as that whining third wheel type. I don't know what to do.

"It'll all blow over." Poppy reassures me, pulling a textbook from her locker.

"But it's already been a week and nothing has gotten any better, in fact I think things are worse."

"Grudges can't last forever, you know."

"Feels like this one is." I roll my eyes, "I just wish I knew what all of the fuss is about, it can't just be because of the bro code to not kiss someone's sister." I think back to the other night at Sydney's house, "I swear Jason implied that Noah had, you know, fucked him over before."

"Oh, er, I don't remember him saying anything like that." Poppy shakes her head and looks away.

"You were near enough passed out, I shouldn't think that you would remember." I furrow my eyebrows in thought, "So there's obviously some conflicting history between Jason and Noah, I just don't know what it is."

"Was that the bell for class?"

"No, I didn't hear anything."

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Poppy quickly closes her locker. "See you later, Kim." She turns on her heels and is off down the corridor before I can even say bye. Moments later the bell for class rings. Why is Poppy acting so odd?

* * *

I sit opposite Jason at dinner that evening and there's nothing but a deafening silence and a lingering tension between us - just like last night, and the night before that, and the night before that. Once we've finished eating Jason dumps his dish in the sink for me to wash up, ordinarily I would protest but not this time, I do all the washing up and head upstairs. "I'm worried." I hear Jason say from his bedroom. Who is he talking to? I creep closer to his door which is open a crack, I peer in and see that he's on the phone. "How am I meant to trust you?" I hear him say. "I know I don't have a reason not to but I have a whole lot of bad past experiences." He pauses for a long time. "I'm not saying you'll turn out the way that they did but I don't wanna take that risk, not after last time. I'll talk to you tomorrow, good night Steph." Confusion takes over my body as I wonder what my brother is talking to Stephanie about, I wish I had some context.

I here Jason moving towards the door and leap to the other side of the hallway and try my best to nonchalantly walk to my bedroom. He emerges so I decide to try and talk to him again, "Jason-"

"What do you want now?" He snaps.

"Can-" he already looks mad but I need to hold my own and get to the bottom of whatever's going on, "can you tell me why you're acting like this?"

"Like you don't know." He rolls his eyes.

"I don't!" I protest.

"Kim, when are you gonna grow up and start taking responsibility for your actions, huh?" He looks angry but somehow upset at the same time. "You can't undo what you did and it's gotten inside my head and, and fucked up absolutely everything." I hardly suppose that kissing his friend is that life altering? There has to be something else.

"I don't know what can I say other than sorry, Jason."

"It doesn't matter, the fact that you did it says more than enough." He disappears back into his bedroom and slams the door behind him. It's plain to see that there's a lot more on the table than me kissing Noah. Whatever else there is to know, I need to find out.